According to HRP, the vehicle will provide a “level of safety” for the officers and the public, while helping them address the climbing number of issues they encounter. It has also stated the vehicle would not be equipped with weaponry or aggressive equipment.

Critics of the vehicle say it makes local law enforcement too militaristic, particularly in the context of being used to police marginalized and minority groups around the city.

This isn’t the first time armored vehicles have been used by smaller police departments, and the results have been mixed.

Fredericton Police Force unveil their armored vehicle in April 2018, and Fredericton’s Emergency Response Team have used it a few times. The vehicle was also deployed in August of 2018 during the fatal shooting of two Fredericton police officers.

The New Glasgow, N.S. police force decided they didn’t need their armored vehicle after owning it four years. The 10-ton vehicle with rotating turret was provided to the town free of charge as surplus from the Canadian military, but the police chief said “We really have not had any use for that since we’ve had it.”